


i swear it by the stars

by deducingontheroof



Series: BokuAkaKuroTsuki Week [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, BokuAkaKuroTsuki Week, Multi, Starship Captain!Kuroo, Starvation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-11 19:50:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11721354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deducingontheroof/pseuds/deducingontheroof
Summary: They had just over a year’s worth of rations left, and if they didn’t get help soon-They’d be in trouble.





	i swear it by the stars

**Author's Note:**

> angsting it up for day one: **hunger | space**
> 
> enjoy!!!!

The Atlantis Mission. Five years in space. No chance to resupply, or even step off of the ship, until the mission was complete. People were hardly lining up to volunteer.

The Gym.3 had broken a few laws, so the Emperor assigned her and her crew to the mission. It would keep her out of trouble for awhile.

For the crew aboard, it was like a death sentence.

-

“Captain Kuroo Tetsurou, monthly report. It’s day six hundred and- ninety-six? Ninety-seven? I don’t even remember,” Tetsurou wearily spoke into the communicator, “No new planets discovered. We have yet to make contact with any alien race. And last week, we got clipped by a chunk of debris. Took out one of our storage bays. We lost about two years’ worth of rations. Requesting assistance and a resupply as soon as possible. Signing off.”

Tetsurou clicked the communicator off, tossing it carelessly onto his desk and scrubbing a hand down his face. They had just over a year’s worth of rations left, and if they didn’t get help soon-

They’d be in trouble.

A knock sounded at his door, and he took a deep breath, composing himself before calling, “Come in.”

Akaashi entered, quietly closing the door behind him, and gently sat beside Tetsurou, resting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“Are you still worried about last week?” Akaashi asked softly, “It wasn’t your fault.”

Tetsurou barked out a laugh, “It’s my ship, ‘Kaashi. Everything that happens is my fault.”

“There’s no way you could have stopped it,” Akaashi insisted, “Has there been word from the fleet? Your reports should transmit instantaneously.”

“Of course not. They don’t care,” Tetsurou’s bitter voice wavered, “This is a punishment detail. They don’t care if we come back.”

Akaashi said nothing. Maybe because he had nothing to say, maybe because there was nothing to be said.

-

“Captain Kuroo Tetsurou, monthly report,” Tetsurou started, voice hoarse and shaking, “Day eight hundred and five. We only have a year’s rations left. We’ve encountered an uncharted planet, and as we tried to get a scan, the ship was fired upon. The warp core is damaged. It’ll take us six years to reach the nearest Imperial planet. Requesting immediate assistance at coordinates 1987.33, 10981.721. Signing off.”

The communicator fell to the ground, and Tetsurou cursed, reaching for it with trembling hands. His vision swam, blurry with building tears, and he defeatedly fell back, letting his head rest on his pillow.

_The Captain’s priority must always be the safety of his crew. She would sacrifice herself without question. The second she cares for her own well-being more than that of the well-being of her crew, she has failed in her duty._

Eight hundred and five days in. One thousand and twenty days remaining. Three hundred and twenty days’ worth of rations.

For four.

If he were to half his rations, he could extend the life of his crew. If he were to half them again, he could extend it significantly.

-

“Monthly report, day eight hundred and fifty-three. Through limiting our rations, we’ve bought ourselves another year. It won’t be enough to reach any Imperial planet, but we might be able to make it to Drexi, which is a neutral planet. There’s hope for us. Signing off.”

Tetsu ignored the growling in his stomach, resting his head against the wall. He could do this. He could get the crew to Drexi, they would survive.

A Captain’s first duty is to his crew.

“Kurooo!!! I’m so bored!!!”

The door swung open, and Bokuto barrelled in, not bothering to close it behind him.

“Hey, bro,” Tetsurou greeted, forcing a smile, “I thought you went swimming with the others.”

“Nah,” Bokuto shook his head, grabbing Tetsurou’s wrists and pulling him up, “C’mon! Let’s do something!”

Tetsurou let out a soft, fond laugh, “Okay, Bo. We’ll do something.”

Bokuto cheered, grinning happily and planting a sloppy, toothy kiss on his mouth. 

“Love you, Tetsu!”

-

“Kuroo Tetsurou, monthly report. Day nine hundred and sixty-one. Food situation is still looking bad. Desperately need aid. Signing off.”

He almost cracked the casing with how hard, how angrily he was grasping it. They still hadn’t received a single response. Either the Empire didn’t deem it important enough, or they just didn’t care enough to listen to his reports. Either way, he was pissed.

He stared at the communicator in his hand, the only way they had to contact the fleet. The only connection they had left to the Empire.

He threw it against the sleek metal wall, watching it shatter into pieces, littering the floor with shards of plastic.

“Don’t take it out on the communicator.”

Tetsurou blinked; Tsukishima was standing in the doorway, knowing glint in his eyes. Tetsurou felt himself tearing up, and Tsukishima quickly crossed the room and pulled him into a tight embrace.

“We’ll be okay, Tetsu,” Tsukishima murmured into Tetsurou’s ear as the captain let himself cry softly against his shoulder.

“They don’t care, Kei. There’s no way we make it back,” Tetsurou sniffled, “I killed you, all three of you.”

“We aren’t dying. Not yet,” Tsukishima promised, “We don’t need the Empire. We can make it on our own, but only with you to lead us.”

Tetsurou sniffed one more time, wiping at his face and willing the tears to stop. If Tsukishima believed in him, maybe he could believe in himself, if only a little. They could make it.

They would do this on their own.

-

Tetsurou frowned, counting the boxes again. Something wasn’t right. He was trying to inventory the remaining rations, but- there were almost four times as many as there should have been. What had happened? It had been almost a hundred days since he last counted, since they decided to leave the fleet and set out on their own, but he couldn’t imagine what could cause such a discrepancy.

“Did you really think we wouldn’t notice?” Tsukishima’s snarky voice came, and he dropped his clipboard, cursing. He reached for it, but Bokuto was already there, picking it up.

“You’ve been restricting your rations, pain-in-the-ass Kuroo-san,” Akaashi told almost grumpily, “Of course we noticed; you’re half-starved.”

“We weren’t going to let you do it alone!!” Bokuto insisted, and for the first time, Tetsurou noticed Kei’s protruding collarbones, Keiji’s sharp cheekbones, and Koutarou’s slimming biceps.

“You idiots,” Tetsurou proclaimed with a laugh, “You stupid idiots, we’re all starving to death. No one wins here.”

“We will make it to Drexi, and we will find a place in the world,” Keiji promised, grabbing Tetsurou’s hand and pressing a soft kiss to his bony knuckles, “I swear it by the stars.”

**Author's Note:**

> [Hit me up on tumblr!!](https://semishiraten.tumblr.com/)


End file.
